Determined Royalty
by Sam Bam
Summary: Samus was determined to keep all the fighters at bay. She refused to keep friendships. One princess, however, wasn't going to let her do that so easily.


Some would say that they envied her. They would say that she was lucky to be part of such a system, and that they'd die to do the same thing. They asked her all the time how it was, and if she enjoyed the tournaments. Did she enjoy meeting other fighters? Did she enjoy the food, the action, the adventure?  
The questions never stopped battering her brain.

If you wanted her to be honest, she'd say that she had no clue why she was here. Fighting people was nice, but the pay wasn't too grand. Actually, the Ing's payment was amazing compared to what she got for staying here.  
Didn't seem right. The mansion was grandiose; surely they had enough money to give her for a normal payment.

Zero Suit Samus sighed and absently poked at her salad with her fork. Her long blonde hair was tied up in the usual high ponytail, with remaining hair hanging down the sides of her face.  
Samus closed her blue eyes and shoved the salad away from her. She really should be hungry. She didn't really understand why she was so upset. There were people that conversed with her in a sane manner, so it wasn't too bad! At the same time, there were a few that made her churn with anger if she even saw them. Case in point, Wario or Ganondorf. That was--

"You're sitting alone again!"  
... Maybe Peach too. However, Samus brushed this thought aside. Peach was a nice woman; at least she didn't have malice in her heart. It's not like Peach meant to break the train of thought she had going. The huntress bent down over her salad to give the appearance of eating.

"I always do. Is there something wrong with it?"

"I thought you would be lonely, that's all. Can I sit here?"

"... Sure."  
The princess sat next to Samus with a large smile on her face. Samus glanced over at Peach's food of choice; exquisite. What was there to expect? She was a princess. The only thing she really recognized was the strawberry cake. The rest, she'd have to ask about.  
There was an awkward silence for a moment before Peach attempted conversation again.

"Get any fights in today?" Her tone was chipper. The princess took a bite of her strawberry cake slice (thus, Samus thought, breaking the rule of actual food before dessert).

"A few. With Snake." Samus could feel the amusement coming from her acquaintance. "Lost two, won one."

"You did better than me!" Peach exclaimed. "I lost all of mine."  
Samus's face fell and she looked over at the princess in slight pity. One of those days. She knew those quite well, and each and every one was just as humiliating as the last one. Seriously, how the hell was Diddy Kong able to beat her a week or so ago? It was shameful.

"I'm sorry, Peach," Samus offered. Peach beamed and giggled. Now Samus was confused.

"Don't be sorry! There's always tomorrow. I could keep trying, and I might win one!" The huntress had a blank look on her face (she had never heard anyone be so ... optimistic about losing). That prompted Peach to continue. "You're not telling me that you just give up!" The huntress froze and stared back down at her salad. Her fork was still prodding it; she hadn't taken a bite yet, but she wanted to look focused on something ... not look like a deer in headlights.

"No. I just feel as if it's pointless to exert energy when you're not at your best. You only get worse."  
There was a long silence from Peach. It made Samus feel uneasy, and she dared to look over. The princess was studying her. She was sure about that much. Samus met her gaze coolly. Her mouth twisted into a frown.

The air between them could be cut with a knife. It seemed like forever until someone said ... anything.

"I worry about you, Samus," Peach finally mustered. What was once chipper was now hushed. She placed one hand on Samus's, and clenched it tightly. The huntress almost recoiled. "You were like this at the Melee tournament, too. I didn't see you in this outfit, sure, but you always seemed so sad!"

Samus didn't respond.

"Please tell me why you're so distant. I'd like to help."  
The bounty hunter took a moment to gather her thoughts. She didn't open up to people here. They would probably never see each other again. Master Hand did mention that this would be the last tournament for a while. Friends would be gone, and either way, she'd be alone again.  
Maybe it was for the best she dumped her secrets on someone. Anyone. They'd forget anyways; it's not like it'd haunt their sleep.

"It's dangerous," Samus replied simply. There was a bitter tone in her voice. "I've lost too many people to try and get close to anyone else. It's my decision." She rose from the table, staring down at her food instead of Peach. She was unable to tell if she was hurt by this or not, but she kept talking.

"I doubt I'll be changing it."

"I'll still be here."  
This made Samus blink. Didn't the princess just hear what she had said? They wouldn't be here for too much longer. They were wrapping things up. Hell, some of the fighters were already beginning to pack their things.  
Why would Peach keep such a positive attitude about everything? It was ridiculous to be so optimistic. Especially about things like ... well, this.

"Look, I know you want to talk to someone, Samus. I just want to make sure you're all right. We can talk after the tournament! You can visit my castle too, if you'd like."  
The princess rose and picked up her tray. The smile was back. "Let's go to my room! I have some stuff on Snake, if you want to hear it." Peach winked and began to saunter off.

Samus was suddenly interested in following her. There wasn't any harm in talking to her, right? The huntress glanced down at her salad, picked it up, and followed the princess.


End file.
